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To garner more exposure for SEASONS and to help and/or educate other independent and aspiring creators, writers and artists, Anthony and I have begun a new YouTube video series on collaboration. The first part of the series focusing on “Preparation” was uploaded today, so if you’re interested in learning how the two of us prepared for SEASONS before it launched, want to get in on a few insights on how we work together, or would like to just watch us talk for your own enjoyment, click on the video below! We will try to cover all of the basics in this series with the intention of giving advice to others from our personal stories and experience, and hope you, the faithful fans of SEASONS as well as newcomers,get much out of it.

Please subscribe to the official YouTube channel for SEASONS, comment below, like and share this video, and keep spreading SEASONS all over!

At the time of this writing, it’s officially past midnight, I’m frankly out of it, and…Christmas is only a week away. There’s that little big event. Soon enough everyone will either be on the road, enjoying the invaluable company of their families, and/or opening special gifts and presents like no tomorrow. No doubt there’’ll be a need for reflection of the past year, with the clock ticking down to the New Year as well. Where has this year gone, anyways?

For me, personally, this has been one of the most exciting but nerve-wracking years I can remember. So much has happened in regards to SEASONS and my very own pursuits in life that I’m already wanting 2017 to come like a lightning bolt that’ll inject even more energetic passion and motivation for what’s ahead. Because next year is when I want BIG things to happen for what Anthony and I have put down and revealed to the world. Because 2017 is the year I want every fan of SEASONS to own a printed edition of the first story (and the other three, hopefully!). With that said, there’s only a brighter future in store for this book, and I hope you’ll be a part of it and support SEASONS every step of the way as each new page is released weekly.

And how can you do that for right now? It’s pretty simple.

Just talk about SEASONS and share it. Let people know wherever and whenever you can that you’re reading this one-of-a-kind webcomic that is going places and has continual updates. With every new page that’s posted, you have the opportunity to help us spread SEASONS. Apart of a large or small online forum/group? There you go. Love visiting your local comic shop and talking comics? Bingo. Enjoy spamming your friends’ Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds with stuff you love? This is your chance.

But all sarcasm aside (my apologies, it is getting late), this is possibly the single best way for SEASONS to succeed naturally, and that’s what we want. And if you’re not following the official social media channels for SEASONS, please do! Feel free to write to Anthony and I about SEASONS using these channels, too, whether it be questions about our process, comments on the book, or encouragement for this dream goal. There is also the email subscription option (to your left!) you can sign up for here on the official website to receive all the latest blog posts and news (like this one, for example). Every little bit helps, for sure, and we want to hear from you. We really do.

To new beginnings,

~ N. Fox

P.S. A heartfelt Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the SEASONS crew!

It’s fulfilling to say that this past Monday marked the conclusion of SEASONS #1, “I Won’t.” Now the very first issue of SEASONS is out there for all to see in its entirety, and it’s my hope I’ve gained some new fans and followers along the way. As of today, the site has had almost 4,500 visits in the two months it’s been up. This is really encouraging to me, and I just want to thank everyone who’s lent a view, shared the site, and been actively spreading SEASONS wherever. Hard to believe something I wrote two years ago at the age of 17 has finally seen the light of day after all this time and is showing this amount of appeal so far. Please keep sharing and talking about SEASONS with your friends. Every little bit helps, and the best is yet ahead, guys, I assure you.

In these first 25 pages of the series, you’ve been introduced to our main character, Fletcher Hart Iiams, who you’ll be getting to know more thoroughly as the series carries on. You’ve also seen this young man’s world turned upside down in an emotional and destructive mess of events. We’ve gone from not wanting to wake up on a Monday morning and an obsessive interest in the opposite sex to super powers, a shadow man, and a chaos-ridden street set aflame. What a turn of tone, huh? To settle any curiosity or misgivings if there are any, this drastic shift of mood and pace was all intentional. And that unpredictability? It’s definitely a defining characteristic of this book.

Looking ahead, there are plenty of exciting things coming up in the next three issues of the Spring storyline both narratively and visually. I can already tell you that Anthony’s work on issue two is some of his best yet, and what you’ll be seeing in the upcoming weeks will captivate your eye. As the creator and writer of SEASONS, one of the greatest feelings in the world is seeing what’s in my head be brought to life, and if you feel only a sliver of what I do when these next set of pages hit, I’d be skeptical if your inner comic book fan doesn’t get a sweeping punch in its artistic-appreciative gut.

So what will happen next? Who is this shadow figure, and what does his appearance mean for Fletcher and those around him? How will he and Fletcher’s newfound powers affect him in this season of his life?

It’s a curious and fascinating adage. A bit ironic as well. You may have heard it before and certainly know what it means, but for those of you exposed to this saying for the first time, no doubt tilting your head a tad to the side right about now, with an interested, silent expression, you’re most likely trying to put the pieces together on what it exactly is trying to express. Well, it’s pretty simple, but awfully profound when understood.

Personally ignorant of knowing who said it first or when it became a repeated phrase, “youth is wasted on the young” ends up coming out as a bitter regret of sorts when put into its proper context. That context is in the form of an older man or woman who’s essentially felt that their youth had been wasted in times of irresponsibility, wrong decisions, missed opportunities, wasted time, bad habits, or whatever else to fill in a blank space respective to that specific individual’s past life. For most, to be young is to be immature, naive, inexperienced, fearful, insecure, gullible, and many, many other things that affect younger people. These “givens” on what is means to be young that determine one’s youthful years can eventually turn themselves into regrets and distasteful memories when growing up. This is because when you become older, you usually know a whole lot more about life and yourself that you wished you did know when you were younger. It’s so easy and completely natural to think, “If I could’ve done this or that differently, if I wouldn’t or would’ve of done that, if I could only take back what I did or said…” etc. I’ve heard this many times from people decades older than me, so I suppose it’s just one of those, like I said, completely natural things you do in the latter years. And it makes sense because no one’s perfect and we all make mistakes that we can and do learn from more often than not.

So why am I saying this, and what does this have to do with SEASONS or being a comic book writer/artist/creator?

Actually, quite a bit.

Still being a teenager and in the – as some would say – “prime” of my youth, I, too, already have my share of regrets. Some are large, some are small, some I have possibly forgotten about, but it’s true — even I have my regrets at the age of 19. And the truth is…I don’t want to anymore. That may be unrealistic and of course I know there will be more regrets that come and go, but being aware of the term “youth is wasted on the young” at this stage in my life has left in me the desire to not ever have to say those six words in my 30s, 40s, 50s, and on up. I don’t want to waste my youth, and that means I have to act on what I believe in right at this second, in this moment. Not the next moment, not the next second, not tomorrow, not next week, not when I feel like it — right now, today. And I’m doing that with SEASONS. That’s why I’m spending all of my time and money on this project. That’s why I wanted to do this in the first place. Today is the day — not when I “have the time” or “when I’m more experienced.” I wanted to write and make SEASONS when I was 19 years old, not 30 years old. Nothing should keep you or me from doing our passion or fulfilling our dream. It’s just takes that one decision and following it through with persistent commitment.

I don’t ever want to have to say my youth, with all its creativeness and energy galore, was wasted when I was younger.

It’s almost funny – every time I’m given the opportunity to explain what SEASONS is about in a conversation, I draw a descriptive blank. This isn’t because I can’t explain the story, it’s just that I don’t know where to start to explain what it is; my mind goes to all these places. It’s just not that simple. For example…

Q: “What’s your comic book about?”

A: “Well…it’s called SEASONS, and it’s about this guy, who has powers, and – – “

Q: “So, he’s a superhero?”

A: “No, he’s not a superhero at all, just a guy who gets powers and who has been running away from his past. It’s a metaphorical drama that deals with a lot of real world themes. But it’s also a character study—”

Q: “What do you mean by “metaphorical drama?”

A: “Well, the first story deals a lot with emotions and the darkness emotions can bring out in people. But my character also has different powers, which are allegorical to this one story and the world around us. But that’s just what the first story is kind of about. The others explore different themes. Don’t want to spoil it all. You still with me?”

Q (looks like what I just said went over their head): “How long is it?”

A: “The first story – Spring – is only four issues, and then the next three stories are Summer, Fall, and Winter. Each seasonal arc is a different story, but they all involve this one guy, and he goes through different things in each story and is given different powers along with the changing seasons of the year. We’ll be following him through one year of his life and will see the man he turns out to be. But there’s a lot more I could tell you —

Q: “Does it have romance in it?”

A: “…You just have to read it.”

I guess that above conversation wasn’t that jumbled – rarely am I able to even describe my book that accurately off the cuff – but there it is, that one line I always fall back on – “You just have to read it.”

See, in conversations like these, I’m thinking about everything the book deals with and I feel like if I talk too much, I’ll give away too much. But, then again, if I give away too little, I don’t know if people will give it a shot. It’s a fine line I’m trying to get a grip on, but I think I’m getting better at it the more I have these conversations. I just find that no amount of words I say can accurately describe the story I’m wanting to tell. It’s not a superhero book, but I think people who like those types of book will like this. It’s not really a cut-and-dry drama, but I think people who like those kinds of narratives and that amount of seriousness and care will like this. It’s not a academic psychological or philosophical piece, but I think people who like those themes and high trains of thought will like this. See what I mean? SEASONS is a combination of all these, and for me to pinpoint it to one specific breed of story does it injustice, in my opinion. SEASONS is meant to reflect life, and like life itself, who can label it as one specific thing? In any case, I can tell you what SEASONS is not, and maybe that’s where it finds its identity. When it does come down to it, though, that discovery of “what SEASONS is” will be found solely by reading and digesting the book for yourself. And if I’m done my part as a writer, you will get a pretty good idea.